WASHINGTON — Among the invited guests at Tuesday night’s State of the Union address are five Coloradans with a wide range of life experiences — each brought to the speech by a Colorado lawmaker for a different reason.

They include an imam from the Denver area, a 12-year-old activist with cerebral palsy, a former Denver mayor, the mother of one of the victims of the 2012 Aurora movie shooting and the father of a combat veteran who killed himself.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, is bringing Imam ShemsAdeen Ben Masaud of the Metropolitan Denver-North Islamic Center (Masjid Ikhlas) as a “show of solidarity with our Islamic communities … to show that we are all together as Americans.”

She said she was compelled to do so because of “some of the rhetoric that we’ve seen against Muslim Americans.”

The move mirrors actions taken by other congressional Democrats, who have made a point of bringing Muslim guests as a way to counter anti-Islamic statements and policies that have been espoused by politicians such as Donald Trump.

Added Ben Masaud: “During this time of heightened rhetoric … we are going to take this chance to really work together and see how we can come together.”

Jeff Edelman was invited to the address by U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora. Edelman’s son Ethan, a combat veteran, committed suicide on Veterans Day last year. According to Coffman’s office, Ethan Edelman graduated from Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch and then enlisted in the Army.

WASHINGTON — The holiday season is all about tradition — such as the annual fight over what Christmas decorations should be shown in public spaces.

In homage to that ritual, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, recently introduced a resolution that looked to express the “sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected for use by those who celebrate Christmas.”

About three dozen House lawmakers so far have joined in supporting the resolution. Among them: U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez.

WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, no lawmaker from Colorado has been more outspoken than U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton in opposing the admission of Syrian refugees to the United States.

Just this week, the Republican from Cortez has feuded with Gov. John Hickenlooper over the policy, wrote President Barack Obama about the same and co-sponsored two pieces of legislation that would both bar the use of federal funds to admit Syrian refugees and toughen the vetting process.

“Until the government has the capability to sufficiently vet and verify the identities of the refugees, admitting tens of thousands of them without that safeguard would provide ample opportunity for an ISIS terrorist to hide amongst them posing as an asylum seeker,” Tipton said in a statement. “I can’t in good conscience sit idly by and allow that to happen.”

His hardliner stance is notable even among Colorado Republicans, who generally have been more skeptical of the process than their Democratic counterparts.

Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith delivers testimony at the state Capitol on Feb. 12, 2013, in Denver. (Daniel Petty, The Denver Post)

Sheriff Justin Smith thinks government closest to the people governs best, and his people are in Larimer County. That’s why he won’t be a candidate for U.S. Senate next year.

After considering the race for a few weeks, Smith joins a list of big-name Republicans who have decided against taking on Colorado’s senior senator, Michael Bennet of Denver, and chose to stay closer to home, he said Friday on his Facebook page.

“… (M)y gut and my heart tell me that I can best serve by doing what I’ve done for the last quarter of a century — pinning on my shield and strapping on my sidearm and continuing to protect and serve through the Office of Sheriff.”

Smith would have brought a lot of conservative credentials to the race.

As the National Journal noted in September, “In a potentially wide-open race, Smith’s al­lies hope that he can turn the conservative profile he’s built on gun laws, marijuana, and immigration into grassroots support that’s easily translatable into votes thanks to Colorado’s all-mail balloting.”

Smith, 46, has been with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office since joining up to be a patrol deputy in 1991. He was promoted to major in 2003 and was elected sheriff in 2010. He ran unopposed for a second term last year.

WASHINGTON — At the start of the 2016 election cycle, much of the talk in Colorado has centered on U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman and whether the Aurora Republican plans to challenge U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet when the Democrat is up for re-election.

But don’t count out another House Republican from Colorado: U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, who represents the western third of the state. A political consultant to Tipton said the veteran lawmaker could be a competitor too.

“I would say that he isn’t ruling anything out right now,” wrote the consultant, Michael Fortney, in an email. “It is still very early and right now his priority is focusing on the issues impacting the 3rd Congressional District. However, Congressman Tipton has a strong record of achievement in his first two terms of service and I believe that would make him a very appealing candidate.”

It’s still early, of course, but GOP interest in the seat is growing. Earlier this week, El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn also threw his name out there.

Secretary of state: Democrat Joe Neguse won more counties than any of the other down-ballot Democrats. He won Adams and Arapahoe counties by higher margins than Mark Udall, Andrew Romanoff, Don Quick and Betsy Markey. Neguse lost to Republican Wayne Williams by 2.57 percentage points.

Attorney general: Quick lost to Republican Cynthia Coffman in Adams County, 45 percent to 48 percent, where Quick used to serve as the district attorney. Quick upset members of his own party by targeting corruption when he was the DA. Statewide, he lost to Coffman by 9.3 percentage points.

State treasurer: Republican incumbent Walker Stapleton beat Markey, a former congresswoman, on her home turf. Stapleton won 49 percent of the vote to Markey’s 46 percent of the vote in Larimer County. Overall, he won by 5.1 percentage points.

3rd Congressional District: Former state Sen. Abel Tapia, a Pueblo Democrat who during his years on the Joint Budget Committee worked to bring home bacon to Pueblo County, didn’t carry Pueblo County in the 3rd CD race. The incumbent, Republican Scott Tipton, won Pueblo 48 percent to 45 percent and beat Tapia overall by 22 percentage points.

The Montrose Republican, and his equally relaxed wife, Dianna, mingled with county commissioners, water experts, congressmen and candidates at the dinner hosted by the civil and advocacy group.

At one point, Democratic Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia slapped his boss’ campaign sticker on Coram’s shirt. Coram quickly held up a sticker for GOP Congressman Scott Tipton to try to hide the Hickenlooper sticker. Club 20 on Saturday is hosting a debate between Tipton and his Democratic challenger, Abel Tapia.

And while posing with El Paso County Clerk Wayne Williams, Coram leaned back into him, cracking up Williams and everyone around them.

Comments Off on Every political event needs a Don Coram, who enjoys life

U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner will be greeted by three billboards attacking him on climate change, birth control and gay marriage when he heads to Grand Junction this week for the Club 20 debate. (Provided by NextGen.)

Once again, Grand Junction billboards are making political news and this time the target is Republican Congressman Cory Gardner.

NextGen Climate Colorado had launched two digital billboards containing three separate messages attacking Gardner in advance of this weekend’s Club 20 debate in Grand Junction. Gardner is trying to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.

The digital billboards kick off NextGen Climate Colorado’s effort to “remind Western Slope voters of Congressman Gardner’s reckless views on women’s health, marriage equality and climate science denial,” according to a news release. They provide the web address for keepcoryout.com, which features Gardner peeking through window blinds.

“From issues of climate science to women’s health, there’s no debate that Congressman Gardner is attempting to impose his extreme views on Colorado families,” said Abby Leeper, spokesperson for NextGen Climate Colorado.

USA Team fans in Denver screams out in jubilation after learning Ghana lost to Portugal 2-1 which put the USA in the round of 16 in the World Cup on June 26, 2014. (Photo by John Leyba, The Denver Post)

WASHINGTON — Sports fans in the nation’s capitol are an uneven bunch. Though there’s plenty of love for local teams, the influx of fans from other cities has turned Washington into a house divided (and divided and divided and … ).

But in somewhat fitting fashion, the nation’s capitol has come together in the last few weeks to cheer on the men’s national team in the World Cup.

A huge crowd gathered in the Dupont Circle neighborhood last week to watch the U.S. play Germany. Another outdoor “watch party” is being organized a few blocks from the White House for today’s do-or-die game against Belgium.

Hill staffers, government workers and reporters have joked about implementing a “cease-fire” once the 4 p.m. game starts. And riders of the city’s subway system are getting hype too, with several commuters sporting U.S. jerseys during the ride into work.

Not surprisingly, lawmakers and politicos from sports-crazy Colorado are caught up in the World Cup wave, too, as evidenced by U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman’s tweet.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.